Advancements in technology have allowed many factory environments to become partially or completely automated in many circumstances, thus improving output in terms of both quality and efficiency. For example, applications that once required workers to put themselves proximate to heavy machinery and other various hazardous conditions can now be completed at a safe distance from such hazards. Further, imperfections associated with human action have been minimized through employment of highly precise machines. Many of these factory devices supply data related to manufacturing to databases that are accessible by system/process/project managers on a factory floor. For instance, sensors can detect a number of times a particular machine has completed an operation given a set amount of time. Further, sensors can deliver data to a processing unit relating to system alarms. Thus, a factory automation system can review collected data and automatically and/or semi-automatically schedule maintenance of a device, replacement of a device, and other various procedures that relate to automating an industrial operation.
Data collected from industrial controllers can thereafter be utilized by high-level systems relating to the factory. For instance, enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems can utilize data obtained from an industrial controller to assist in overall product schedules, supply chain coordination, and the like. ERP systems are management information systems that integrate and automate many business practices associated with operations or production aspects of a business/company. Typically, ERP systems are cross-functional and exist across an enterprise, thus enabling functional departments involved in operations or production to be integrated into a single system.
ERP systems are associated with substantial security mechanisms, as a significant amount of money and man-hours is typically required for implementing ERP systems, and companies wish to protect this investment. For example, ERP systems utilize firewalls to secure the system from attack from outside sources, and to prevent an internal user from operating an internal machine outside the ERP system environment. Specifically, an internal user cannot manipulate the system to enable a workstation to operate outside such system. Such strict security policies are not optimal for devices on a factory floor. Factory floor security systems are employed primarily to protect against accidental, internal security breaches. For example, it could be disastrous if a user accidentally altered a recipe for a pharmaceutical product. Conventional factory floor security systems utilize global security measures to prevent security breaches. Particularly, if maintenance issues arise or a recipe is changed, conventional security systems require an entire factory floor to be either shut down or continue operation without protection from the security system. Accordingly, these factory floor security systems result in production inefficiency and/or unstable operating environments.
In view of at least the above, there exists a need in the art for an improved security system to be employed with factory floor devices.